November 30, 2009

But what's this? Flicking through the SNP website, our oppressed Scottish cousins do seem to have been rather left behind by events. Check out this claim:

"Off our east coast lies Norway, the second most prosperous country in the world. Off our west coast lies Ireland, the fourth most prosperous country in the world. Off our north coast lies Iceland, the sixth most prosperous country in the world."

Anybody seriously holding up the Republic of Ireland, or more hilarious still Iceland as an economic model for the future of Scotland needs their bumps feeling. Far from being part of an arc of prosperity, Scotland looks rather like the sickly centre of an arc of dwindling economic performance, debt and recession.

Imagine how bad it would be if they had to take responsibility for the Royal Bank of Scotland's debts as well?

The real reason for the SNP moving now is that they know Cameron is very likely to be elected Prime Minister next year. He will head a government that will be dominated by English public school boys, a government as out of touch with reality in working class Edinburgh or Glasgow as Mrs Thatcher was. Alex Salmond's hope is that the SNP will be able to pick up the class conscious voter, as well as the minority of Scots who have always supported nationalism, in a push for an Independent Scotland.

The quote above rather reminds us of the limitations of his strategy, at least on economic matters.

November 28, 2009

Like many Mancunians I note that neither Liverpool nor Everton appear capable of building a new ground each.

It is therefore time for the FA to do what it so rarely does - and show leadership. Evereton and Liverpool should be told that no bid will be considered from the city of Liverpool to host matches in the 2018 World Cup, unless both teams are ground sharing in a stadium that holds at least 60,000 fans. (It needs to be that big for when Manchester United visit it twice a year).

If Everton and Liverpool are unable to work together they can of course hang together..........

November 27, 2009

I took myself off the the London School of Economics on Tuesday evening to see Gilles Kepel speak. Here's a report of where he is coming from:

This was entitled "Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam" and was the second of a series of four talks - the last two follow in the new year, with the third focusing on the development of Islamist groups in the UK and France.

The gist of Kepel's argument is the world switched era's in the 70s - political Islam moved from being virtually non-existent to centre stage.This emerged out of the first generation of Muslims who had neverexperienced colonial domination, and who held Muslim leaders accountable for their failings.Secondly this era saw massive demographic change, a population surge thanks in large part due to the decline in infant mortality and also the movement from the countryside to the city. This proved the ideal breeding ground for a new Islam, as traditional, spiritual rural systems were displaced.Finally male literacy greatly increased, and ideas from the likes of Qutb could be disseminated. This 'Qu'ranic generation' set out to build a new world. Just as the Prophet had destroyed Paganism, so they would destroy corrupt, secular society.

On Your Marx?At this point it has to be stressed that this is probably a far more materialist or 'Marxist' analysis, focusing on internal developments without simply complaining about the West and imperialism, than the likes of Tariq Ali could ever come out with! That Kepel is rarely read on the British left (regardless of his own beliefs) tells us much about the decline of knowledge amongst progressive political activists here in the UK. Reading that does not meet their own liberal prejudices has become virtually impossible.

These Qu'ranic currents coincided with the developing financial might of a more Conservative Islamist trend - Wahabism, based in Saudi Arabia, that could work with the West in a way the above could not. Either way - Islam - of one stripe or another - was centre stage. Nationalism (and I would argue more progressive ideals) were off the agenda. And have remained off the agenda for a generation.

An Islamic Cold WarKepel stressed the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. He sees the 1980s Jihad in Afghanistan as serving in part as an attempt to regain the leadership of the Muslim mind by the Conservatives, who had been greatly disturbed by the 'third worldism' and Shia rhetoric coming out of Iran since the 1978/9 revolution. In a tit for tat move, the Ayatollah Khomeini even issued his fatwa against Salman Rushdie on 14 February 1989 - the day before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan. Rather than being the Valentine's Day card from hell, Khomeini was simply concerned with stealing the thunder of the Saudis and the Americans..........

For the Jihadis in Afghanistan, rather different goals existed. The restoration of Islam was the goal, and their interpretation of jihad was it was global, not limited to particular conflicts. When the US and the petro-monarchies realised this, funding dried up (Kepel cited Brzezinski's arrogant comments in particular here)

Iraq post-Saddam was seen as an opportunity to replay Afghanistan, but has instead proved to be a disaster for Al Qaeda, as their killing of fellow Muslims has been both a PR disaster internationally as well as uniting forces against them in Iraq. Kepel argues the petro-monarchies have ended up funding rival forces to ensure AQ's defeat in the country. It is likely such forces have been promised significant chunks of Iraq's future oil wealth. The long term consequences of this remain to be seen.

Closing CommentsIn the final section Kepel looked at Afghanistan (there was oddly no real mention of Pakistan, which interests me more). Here he argues Biden has influenced Obama into a 'get Al Qaeda' strategy. The problem is that although AQ are foreigners in Afghanistan and are small in number, they are being protected by, and have the support of, a resurgent Taleban, who have real numbers now.

His conclusion was not a very positive one for the US/UK (and perhaps typically French) - that those who once throught themselves so clever, are now trapped in the position the Red Army were in the 1980s............

November 26, 2009

Tune in to Channel 5 this evening at 8pm for The True Story: The Hunt For Red October.

Tom Clancy's novel was based on real life events, in 1975. However in this instance, the Captain did not want to defect to the West, but instead wanted a proper revolution with the corrupt Soviet leadership swept away........

November 25, 2009

It is noticeable how the new free to all Evening Standard is at one level identical to the old Evening Standard.

I always found the Standard to be very suburban, much more of a commuters newspaper than a Londoner's paper. Witness in the past the numbers reading it on the way out of Waterloo and Victoria, compared to the numbers buying it in Hackney or Harlesden.

Since the Standard went free, it is actually quite tricky to get hold of it in my part of Hackney. Unless you travel to a tube station, you will miss out. Interesting then to pop into the London School of Economics yesterday and find a newstand for complimentary copies of the Standard.

Nothing similar exists, to my knowledge, at any building in Hackney. Don't we count?

November 21, 2009

What should be a relatively speedy couple of miles along the A12 past the fast developing Olympic site is now a nightmare. For no apparent reason, the usual 40 and then 50 miles per hour speed limit has been reduced to 30. There is no work on the A12 itself, and no lanes are closed (although a very important pile of cones is placed in a lay by on both the west and eastbound sections).

So - are the speed restrictions in place to encourage us to gawp at the one sign of progress as regards the Olympics? Or is that the the speed cameras are needed so every driver snapped can contribute a juicy fine to the government, which can in turn use the money to fund this white elephant?

November 19, 2009

As a confirmed leftist trainspotter, I like nothing more than digging about in old radical journals and finding the odd gem.

Just to show you how things can change in 25 years, I present this quote from Sheila McGregor, which was part of a critique of declining standards in the women's liberation movement, and those of Germaine Greer in particular. It appeared in Socialist Review in March 1984:

"And as for the ramblings about Islamic Marxists, we should remind her of the students in Iran who, when faced with their non-veiled headmistress being sacked and replaced with a veiled one said 'We are going to count to 15, and if you are still here, we will not answer for your safety'. The veiled woman ended up in hospital.The Ayatollah Khomeini had to reimpose the veil and other reactionary practices on men and women in Iran by force, as part of a process of breaking working class organisation".

November 18, 2009

Perhaps the most intense game will be in Sudan, where Egypt play Algeria in a play off. The teams tied in their qualifying group, after Egypt scored an injury time goal to beat Algeria 2-0 at the weekend.

November 17, 2009

Not for something he had done (politicians seem to find that quite hard) but for something that he had not done, and indeed something that occurred long before he entered political power. Rudd's apology, to children abused and mis-treated in care homes, is likely to be repeated by Gordon Brown on a visit to the country next year.

All this leaves me feeling a little left out, if not downright oppressed. As a Mancunian of Irish descent, I wonder if an apology for the British administered famine in Ireland is slightly overdue, or an apology for the suffering inflicted during the Industrial Revolution and the industrialisation of Manchester, so brilliantly catalogued by Fredrich Engels.

No doubt if I wait long enough, an apology will appear. In the meantime, perhaps politicians would be better served concentrating on the here and now, making slightly fewer mistakes, and apologising for the mistakes they have made, not the things they have not been involved in..........

November 15, 2009

Events such as these depend so much on individual enthusiasm - from the boxers themselves, to the organisers, who it should be remembered are doing this not for profit, but for the love of the sport. 20 odd bouts were fought at both junior and senior levels, with clubs from across the Southern Counties competing.

Credit to everyone involved.

It is the voluntary nature of these events that is significant to me. Yes sponsors play a role at this level (the generosity of Youngs Brewery to Foley should be mentioned) but it is minor compared to the weight of determined efforts of people who simply enjoy doing something.

November 11, 2009

The October/November issue of Red Pepper has an interesting essay by Alastair Crooke, entitled "Red Shi'ism, Iran and The Islamist Revolution". This is followed by two articles, critical of Crooke's views, especially in the light of events this year in Iran.

Crooke calls, in a sub-heading, for the left to develop a more nuanced and critical understanding of political Islam. He may well be right. What is more curious, and indeed disappointing, is that neither Red Pepper nor Crooke himself consider it worthwhile to inform readers that Alastair Crooke is a former MI6 officer. Indeed the influence he has had, and the opportunities he has had to speak to and with a succession of Shia leaders and organisations in the Middle East has been greatly facilitated by his own background.

Why he wishes to speak to 'the left' or considers it desireable for the left to adopt certain positions is unexplained. Surely it needs to be if Mr Crooke wishes to be heard?

November 10, 2009

November 09, 2009

Of all the live sport on television last weekend, I'll bet more people enjoyed Northwich Victoria versus Charlton Athletic than any other event.

This was a traditional English cup tie that was a far better spectacle than the Chelsea v Manchester United match. The passion, the drive, the commitment, the dreams - it was all present. Full credit should go to ITV, for not only selecting this game ahead of others, but lacking the technical know-how of Sky, who manage to edit out 'offensive' singing, even from live coverage.

Hearing Northwich Victoria fans singing about how much they hate Witton Albion, and questioning the legitimacy of several Charlton players birth, made this all the more of an event for me. More please!

I can't help thinking that the Unionists are in danger of creating a precedent that many governments - including the UK's - may live to regret. If the Libyan government is responsible for crimes committed with guns and explosives it has supplied - why should that not apply to other countries, in other circumstances? If anything British involvement in any crime is likely to be more significant than Libya's - as well as companies like British Aerospace and countless others supplying the means of killing, the UK willingly provides 'training' in a range of policing, security and military matters.

After all, we can safely assume that the UK police officers that have been in Libya providing training in recent months, have not been teaching Colonel Gaddaffi's boys the importance of policing by consent, cups of tea with community leaders and the need to support the establishment of a gay police association (Tripoli Branch). Nations with little or no regard for democracy, and that routinely terrorise their own citizens and others are all supported. Saudi Arabia and Israel feature on the list, whilst we are also happy to support both sides in certain tense areas of the world - most noticeably India and Pakistan.

So - all the building blocks are in place for a significant precedent. I'm not sure that progressive forces have ever had good reason to thank the Ulster Unionists for anything. Could this be the first?

November 07, 2009

This evening sees David Haye take on Nikolay Valuev for the WBA Heavyweight title.

It is a few years since I saw Haye fighting as a Crusierweight, when he beat Giacobbe Fragomeni at York Hall, to retail his European title. On that occasion Haye struggled against a smaller man, with Fragomeni taking several rounds in the middle of the fight, before the champion suddenly woke up and sprung into action.

How Haye copes against a much bigger man is the key question tonight. For many years Valuev's fights were a staple on Eurosport, and they were rarely inspiring - usually dull points wins - although he has improved as a boxer in recent times. As with many fighters based in Germany, he has also benefitted from some home town decisions (e.g. against Evander Holyfield) but his size and durability - he's never been knocked down - suggest our man will struggle.

Last night I looked on-line for odds on Valuev to win on points. Ladbrokes were only offering a very staid 7-2. Whether I put anything on it or not, that's my prediction - the Russian to win on points, possibly with Haye left bemoaning the judges.

November 05, 2009

I was lucky enough to follow 43 Group founder Morris Beckman in speaking on anti-fascism at this years Anarchist Bookfair. This is the full text of my talk, where I argue that the success of the BNP makes no platform redundant as a strategy for defeating them, although we may still wish to use it as a tactic.

Speech To Anarchist Bookfair – Saturday 24th October 2009

Thank you to the organisers for inviting me.

I have the rather dubious task of bringing things up to date, to 2009.

The circumstances for anti-fascists have changed radically over the past decade since Nick Griffin became BNP leader in 1999.

He and Tony Lecomber started the gradual modernisation of the BNP into what I think is still essentially a fascist party, but one that is willing to bend with the wind, to try out different ideas to see what will work, and is positioning itself as the type of Euro-Nationalist party that we have seen gain great electoral success in France, Belgium, Austria, Italy etc

1999 also saw probably the last successful riot by demonstrators in the UK – J18. Afterwards, the police promised a war of attrition against activists and have broadly delivered on that.

Virtually unlimited resources have been thrown at recording, cataloguing and following members and supporters of any organisation or current that may actually achieve anything. Anti-fascists have been high up on this list.

Nothing distracts from this task. Two days after the 7/7 bombing, Londoners may not have been surprised to see a large police operation at Kings Cross station. But this was not some follow up to the attacks – but police officers deployed to take pictures and compile intelligence of demonstrators returning from the G20 protests in Scotland.

A curious set of priorities.

But such police action, combined with the saturation coverage of CCTV in cameras in most towns and cities, make the sort of actions the 43 Group carried out virtually impossible to replicate successfully today.

No Platform

The dominant method of dealing with fascists in Britain has been the strategy of No Platform. We heard the type of tactics Morris outlined.

Street level activism was combined with a general distaste in the political mainstream and media for fascist or Nazi organisations. That did not prevent politicians occasionally copying the rhetoric or even policies of the fascist right, but in general they were denied normality. John Tyndall would never have got on Question Time.

I am going to argue today that No Platform is now a dead duck as a strategy.

It is not a viable strategy to defeat a party with scores of councillors, 2 MEP’s, 12,000 members and perhaps the most popular website in British politics.

With the exception of London, BNP membership is probably higher in most towns and cities than the numbers interested in actively no platforming them.

If we take the example of Stockport – the last BNP membership leak suggested 60 odd members in the town. The number of active anti-fascists in the town is probably in single figures.

A handful of people cannot no platform a greater number.

I do believe No Platform still has its advantages and uses as a tactic.

There is much to be said for harrying BNP stalls, and leafleting sessions. One of the things that continues to damage Nick Griffin are his bizarre public appearances surrounded by a security squad of wobblebottoms.

BNP security chief Martin Reynolds may be successful at his internet dating requests for ‘women who look like Dawn French’ but providing a discreet security presence is not his forte. No other public figure conducts himself in this way, surrounded by goons, and it was noticeable after one successful Antifa intervention in Yorkshire, Griffin turned up for a court appearance in a car complete with metal grilles over the windows.

So our pressure can have an effect on their behaviour. But there are other areas where anti-fascist pressure is simply side stepped.

In Barnsley in 2007 BNP street stalls were disrupted, tables smashed, papers stolen etc etc. The difficulty is, the BNP still stood in the subsequent local elections, still polling strong votes, and moving towards a position where they are seen as the alternative, or the radical opposition locally to the Labour Party.

So – anti-fascists managed to disrupt the BNP, to wound them, but not to kill them off.

Perhaps we need to think a little bit less about the BNP, and a little bit more about their voters.

Which brings us onto the next question:

Can We Defeat Fascism, Purely With Anti-Fascism?

This to me is the core issue, and the debate we need to have.

Morris and the 43 Group did.

The ANL and other currents who opposed the NF in the 1970s did.

Anti-Fascist Action and those opposing the BNP in the 1980s and early 1990s did.

I still think anti-fascists, using No Platform, are more than a match for those on the loopey fringe of the far-right – the British People’s Party, Racial Volunteer Force, Blood & Honour etc.

But in the long term, they are not the groups we have to worry about. The BNP is. And its electoral strategy, and electoral success, is something in the UK we have not seen before.

This question is a particular problem for Anarchists who by and large don’t vote and uncomfortable with organisations that are electoral.

If people think back to the formation of the Independent Working Class Association, I think that was one of the main reasons for its failure. A political current was not going to emerge from Anti-Fascist Action without the Anarchists.

Ofcourse no one was more poorly placed than Red Action to lead a political initiative of that type. Red Action had a disastrous record of failing to maintain working relationships with virtually everyone they came into contact with, but I suspect deep down the real problem for Anarchists was that the IWCA was clearly going to be an electoral beast.

Of course the BNP’s is not a purely electoral strategy – there is a cultural element present, a desire to build up a cadre of members – Larry O’Hara, if he writes the book he should have written years ago on the British far-right - has the best analysis of this, (although in the meantime you can read some of his thinking in Notes From the Borderland) but the BNP are very much engaged in a war for position, attempting to take advantage of each opportunity that arises.

Multi-Culturalism

In the case of the ANL, a mixture of methods were used here – from No Platform, to the development of a cultural strategy that brought together white, black and Asian youths around shared interests, music and football in particular.

You had even as late as the early 1990s a generation of broadly secular Asian youth who had cut their teeth in such politics – the Asian Youth Movements.

What we had in that era was a sort of voluntary multi-culturalism was practicesed that is and was very different to the type of top down funding based multi-culturalism to be practiced by councils like the GLC, Bradford and Birmingham City Council’s and Ken Livingstone’s London.

Kenan Malik has analysed this better than I could.

I think that brand of politics has been very damaging to our cause. After all if there is such a thing as the black community, or a Muslim community, or a Vietnamese community, there is by definition surely a white community. And just as ‘community leaders’ emerge to represent the Muslim community and to lobby on its behalf, we cannotproclaim ourselves to be shocked when someone steps up to say they represent the ‘white’ community. Whatever that is.

This is what happens when we abandon class politics, or we have sometimes well intentioned politics foisted onto our communities by government. We need to move away from the idea of communities fixed by race or religion, and raise the banner of class politics.

In doing this our enemy won’t only be the BNP – it will actually be those in the state, in local government, in faith groups and in the establishmentparties who gain from the current system, ignoring the long term damage it does us all.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

Well the answer to that question in my 17 years in the Anarchist movement has always been the same – to the pub.

But there is a point when the drinking stops and we have to ask ourselves – do we have an Anarchist movement, do we have an anti-fascist movement that is – in management speak – fit for purpose.

I don’t think we do.

I do think we have potential. There are more than enough people passing through the doors of this bookfair over the course of today to form a successful campaign, group or resource if people put their minds to it.

The problem is we have to look beyond harrying the BNP, being against them, and instead look towards replacing them.

And that requires an Anarchist movement, socialist movement, community campaign – call it whatever you want – that does things, and does things that are relevant to people’s lives and aspirations.

Refreshments provided. The book will be on sale at this event at the reduced price of £10 (RRP £12.95) Which is cheaper than Amazon! Please email eleanor@pagesofhackney.co.uk to book your seat.

In the aftermath of the First World War, thirty Labour councillors went to prison rather than accepting an unfair funding system. With unemployment rising in 1921, Poplar Borough Council could not help provide relief drawing only on the limited wealth of one poor London borough.
Poplar councillors, including future Labour leader George Lansbury, demanded that rates from richer areas should help.

So Poplar refused to pay over rates to the London County Council, and thus began the Poplar Revolt. In contrast, Hackney Council - led by Herbert Morrison - refused to confront the law and insisted on remaining 'respectable'.
This book tells the story of the support mobilised by Poplar Council, beginning when newly-enfranchised working-class voters elected Labour to run the Council in 1919. For the next two years, it improved life for Poplar residents, coming into ever-increasing conflict with the central authorities and the local government funding system.

The crisis came in 1921, when Poplar Council refused to levy a portion of its rates.
Poplar's fight took its Councillors to prison in September 1921. After six weeks, the courts released them from prison and the government changed the law to redistribute funding from richer to poorer boroughs: they had won!
With local councils today once again preparing to cut services and/or increase rents and charges, this book - and this event - tells a story that is very relevant and inspiring today.

The author is the former President of Hackney TUC, and Secretary of RMT's London Transport Regional Council.

November 02, 2009

I guess this is from the promotion the blog has received in the Anarchist Bookfair programme, and in the new issue of Notes From The Borderland. What's the blog all about?

The aim simply is to promote my writing, and some of the causes I believe in. You will find articles about the London borough of Hackney, the anarchist movement, the rise of political Islam in Britain (which I consider dangerous) and parapolitics - the hidden in politics. Sport, and the politics of sport, also feature regularly.